Study On Dietary Life Of Jin Dynasty

Ancient China had experienced a historical period with collision and fusion during 10?13th centuries. As the material foundation of human survival and development, diet is one of the most basic form of social life, which is greatly influenced by historical circumstances. The Jurchen developed abruptly from the Changbai Mountain and the Amur River in northeast China, then took charge of large territory of Liao and Northern Song by several campaigns and gradually expanded the territory of Jin dynasty involving Qinling Mountains and Huai River. Therefore, Jin dynasty ruled about half of northern China's territory and also inherited the diet custom of Liao and Northern Song. In addition, the fierce stalemate and frequent communication with the Liao, Song, western Xia and Mongolia also had an important influence to Jin's dietary life. Overall, the dietary life of Jin dynasty was an integration of multi-national culture.The diet life of Jin dynasty was relative abundant. First, it had a variety of food due to broad land, abundant products and hybrid living of different nationalities. With the development of social economy, the dietary life of Jin dynasty was formed by chao, rice, porridge, noodles, cakes as staple food, meat, milk, vegetable, melons, fruits and condiment as subsidiary food, and the drink diet including water, wine, tea, milk, soup and so on. Thus the Jin's dietary life became abundant, and developed toward agricultural products predominantly. Since grainy food gradually played a leading role in the dietary life, the related food processing tools such as grind, hulling, pestle and grain sheller were popularized and improved. Second, for grain, meat, dairy, vegetables and drinking, the cooking ways used steaming, boiling, frying, baking and pickling instead of early rough burning, cooking, boiling and raw mashing, making the food more elaborate and tasteful. At last, the Jin's diet custom was integrated developed constantly. In view of the communication and integration with Qidan, Han, Bohai, Xi and other ethnic groups, the diet system, order of seats, festivals and etiquette of Jin dynasty had fused the diet customs of Liao and Song dynasties on the basis of Jurchen's traditional diet. In addition, diet entertainment, diet therapy and nutrition concepts were gradually developed, which proved that people in Jin dynasty had a further understanding of ingredients functions, and dietary culture was deepened.Eating utensils in Jin dynasty had considerable features. In early times, wooden tray, die, bowls and other simple eating utensils were mainly used. With the further development of the Jin's ceramics, there appeared cans such as bowl, basin, dish and the feeder, as well as drinking tools such as zhan, cup, zhong and pot. A variety of eating tools such as Bi, chopsticks, scoop and spoon were combined in detailed using process.Two points were summarized in the dietary life of Jin dynasty from social view. First, it reflected strong class differences. The Jin society contained royalty, bureaucrat, rich people and civilian class. In dietary life, the ruling class and rich people focused on enjoyment, entertainment and rank. Instead, civilians often ate wild vegetables and bran rice. In addition, class differences were obvious in the use of eating utensils in feasts, worship, religion and other aspects. Second, the integration of different national diet culture was very evident. Jin society chose eating together, more aromatic and sanyueshi feasts appeared in all levels along with the society stability and deeper national fusion, which highlighted the secularization of Jin's feasts.The dietary life of different social classes in Jin dynasty was profoundly influenced by national fusion. With the integration and precipitation of multi-national food culture during more than one hundred years, the dietary life of Jin dynasty had an essential role in the history of ancient Chinese diet, which served as a connecting link between the preceding and the following dynasties. Undoubtedly, it laid a foundation for the unified multi-national diet culture in Yuan dynasty.